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Grand Canyon (1991 film)
| music = James Newton Howard | cinematography = Owen Roizman | editing = Carol Littleton | distributor = 20th Century Fox | released = | runtime = 137 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = | gross = $40,991,329 (worldwide)"Grand Canyon," Box Office Mojo. Accessed Dec. 23, 2011. }} Grand Canyon is a 1991 American drama film directed and produced by Lawrence Kasdan, and written by Kasdan with his wife Meg. Featuring an ensemble cast, the film is about random events affecting a diverse group of people, exploring the race- and class-imposed chasms which separate members of the same community. The film was produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox and was released on Christmas Day, 1991. Grand Canyon was advertised as "The Big Chill for the '90s", in reference to an earlier Kasdan film. Plot After attending a Lakers basketball game, an immigration lawyer named Mack (Kevin Kline) finds himself at the mercy of potential muggers when his car breaks down in a bad part of Los Angeles late at night. The muggers are talked out of their plans by Simon (Danny Glover), a tow truck driver who arrives just in time. Mack sets out to befriend Simon, despite their having nothing in common. In the meantime, Mack's wife Claire (Mary McDonnell) and his best friend Davis (Steve Martin), a producer of violent action films, are experiencing life-changing events. Claire encounters an abandoned baby while jogging and becomes determined to adopt her. Davis suddenly becomes interested in philosophy rather than box-office profits after being shot in the leg by a man trying to steal his watch, vowing to devote the remainder of his career to eliminating violence from the cinema. The film chronicles how these characters—as well as various acquaintances, co-workers and relatives—are affected by their interactions in the light of life-changing events. In the end, they visit the Grand Canyon on a shared vacation trip, united in a place that is philosophically and actually "bigger" than all their little separate lives. Cast *Kevin Kline as Mack *Danny Glover as Simon *Steve Martin as Davis *Mary McDonnell as Claire *Mary-Louise Parker as Dee *Alfre Woodard as Jane *Jeremy Sisto as Roberto *Tina Lifford as Deborah *Randle Mell as The Alley Baron Production Parts of the film were shot at Glen Canyon in Utah as well as Los Angeles and Canoga Park, California and the Grand Canyon in Arizona. The footage of the Los Angeles Lakers game in the film was shot before anybody knew Lakers guard Earvin "Magic" Johnson was HIV+. Rita Kempley, in her film review in The Washington Post, pointed to this scene as proof that "... the filmmaker and his team had truly caught society on the verge." The character Davis is based on action film producer Joel Silver. Soundtrack Grand Canyon: Music From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released in 1992 on Milan Records. Track listing Personnel * James Newton Howard: Piano, Keyboards, Synthesized Bass, Synthesizer Programming, Programming, Orchestration * Dean Parks, Michael Landau, Jude Cole, Davey Johnstone: Guitars * Michael Boddicker: Programming, Synthesizer, Synthesizer Programming * Simon Franglen: Synclavier Additional * John "J.R." Robinson: Drums * Michael G. Fisher: Drums, Percussion * Neil Stubenhaus: Bass Guitar * Chuck Domanico: Acoustic Bass * Michael Lang: Piano * Jeff Porcaro, Joe Porcaro, Emil Richards, Donald Williams: Percussions * Kirk Whalum, Larry Williams: Saxophones * Paul Salamunovich: Choir Director, Choir Master * Warren Zevon: Performer (track 9) * Grand Canton Fanfare Orchestra: Performer (track 16) * Chris Boardman, Brad Dechter: Orchestrations * Marty Paich: Conductor * Tommy Johnson, Jim Self: Tubas * Rick Baptist, Charlie Davis, Gary Grant, Mario Guarneri, Jerry Hey, John Richard Lewis, Jon Lewis, Warren Luening, Malcolm McNabb: Trumpets * Gayle Levant: Harp * Charles Loper, Bill Reichenbach Jr., George Thatcher: Trombones * David Duke, Joe Meyer, Brian O'Connor, John A. Reynolds, James Thatcher, Richard Todd: French Horns Reception Critical response Grand Canyon received generally positive reviews from critics; it has a 7/10 "fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes and a critical rating of 79% based on 33 reviews."Grand Canyon (1991)," Rotten Tomatoes. Accessed Dec. 22, 2011. Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote, In a similar vein, Washington Post critic Rita Kempley wrote, Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly chided the film for its "... solemn zeitgeist chic," and called it "... way too self-conscious," but ultimately decided that "Grand Canyon is finally a very classy soap opera, one that holds a generous mirror up to its audience's anxieties. It's the sort of movie that says: Life is worth living. After a couple of hours spent with characters this enjoyable, the message — in all its forthright sentimentality — feels earned."Gleiberman, Owen. "Grand Canyon (1991)," Entertainment Weekly. (Jan 10, 1992). Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars, and wrote, "In a time when our cities are wounded, movies like Grand Canyon can help to heal."Ebert, Roger. "Grand Canyon," Chicago Sun-Times (Jan. 10, 1992). Ebert's television reviewing partner Gene Siskel also loved the film, with Ebert placing it at the #4 and Siskel at #6 on their 1991 top ten lists. Awards The film won the Golden Bear for Best Film at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival. The screenplay was nominated for the Oscar (as Best Original Screenplay), the Golden Globe and the Writers Guild of America. Box office Grand Canyon was considered a minor failure at the box office, taking in $40.9 million,"Grand Canyon (1991)," Yahoo! Movies. Accessed 2 November 2009. and did not reap notable profits until it was released on video. Legacy Phil Collins' 1993 song "Both Sides of the Story" references the scene from Grand Canyon where the young mugger tells Simon (played by Danny Glover) that he carries a gun to make sure people respect (and fear) him.Kot, Greg. "Pop: Phil Collins, Regular Guy: And Like Regular Guys, He's Worried About His Kids," Chicago Tribune (Nov. 7, 1993). See also *List of films featuring the deaf and hard of hearing References External links * * Category:1991 films Category:1990s drama films Category:American films Category:American drama films Category:Films directed by Lawrence Kasdan Category:English-language films Category:20th Century Fox films Category:Golden Bear winners Category:Films set in Arizona Category:Films set in Los Angeles Category:Films shot in Los Angeles Category:Films about race and ethnicity Category:Films shot in Arizona Category:Films shot in California Category:Films shot in Utah Category:Films scored by James Newton Howard